One of Politico's sources says that the Donald is now a registered "independent" -- that's what you get for not showing up to his debate you spry GOP candidates, you! Soon after publishing her scoop, Politico's Maggie Haberman managed to wrangle an explanation tacitly confirmig the tip from Trump's special counsel Michael Cohen who said that The Apprentice star decided to switch parties "in order to preserve his right to run as an independent if he is (not pleased) with the GOP nominee." Soon thereafter, ABC New's Michael Falcone cited a source who said that Trump had switched "his party affiliation from Republican to 'unaffiliated'" because he's "disgusted" with the GOP. Cohen told Falcone more about Trump's recent contact with Americans Elect, an organization that hopes to prop up independent candidates for presidential bids. "Couple Donald Trump’s name recognition with his extraordinary wealth and Americans Elect truly becomes a viable force in determining who the next president will be," Trump’s top political adviser Michael Cohen told ABC News. "One thing is for certain, Donald Trump is adamant that Barack Obama must be defeated in 2012 under any circumstances." All we can say is the obvious: this Donald Trump character is full of surprises.

This article is from the archive of our partner The Wire.

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Adam Clark Estes is a former writer for The Wire. He has also written for The Huffington Postand Vice.